5-Card Draw is simple to learn and often the first game new players try. It’s more common in home games these days, as Texas Hold’em and Omaha have overtaken it in popularity. Still, many online poker platforms continue to offer 5-card draw tournaments and cash games, keeping it alive for fans worldwide.

Played with a standard deck and usually involving two to five players, the goal is to build the best five-card hand. Each player receives five cards and can swap some in hopes of improving their hand. There are no community cards, and hands remain hidden until the final showdown. With fewer betting rounds, the game moves quickly, making it an exciting and fast-paced variant of poker. BLITZPOKER offers a great platform to its players for poker cash games and tournaments.

5 Card Draw Poker Hand Rankings

If you’re just starting out in poker, the first thing you need to learn is how the hands rank. Without this knowledge, you might have a winning hand without even knowing it! So, before we get into the details of 5-card poker, let’s go over the ranking of hands, from the weakest to the strongest:

• High card (basically, nothing special)
• One pair
• Two pair
• Three of a kind
• Straight
• Flush
• Full house
• Four of a kind
• Straight Flush
• Royal Flush
• Five of a kind (if wild cards are in play)

How to Play 5 Card Draw Poker

In 5 Card Draw, once the ante or blinds are paid, each player gets five cards, face down.

A round of betting follows. If more than one player stays in after this, the first drawing round begins. Each active player chooses how many cards they want to discard and exchange for new ones from the deck.

If you’re satisfied with your hand and don’t want to swap any cards, you “stand pat.” After the drawing round, another round of betting takes place. If more than one player remains after that, a showdown happens, and the player with the best five-card hand wins.

5 Card Draw Poker Rules

• First, choose a dealer. The dealer’s role moves in a clockwise direction after each hand.
• Each player is dealt five cards, face down, one at a time.
• The player sitting to the left of the dealer becomes the one to start the betting.
• After the initial betting round, players can exchange up to three cards (or four cards if they keep an Ace) for new ones from the deck to improve their hand.
• Players announce how many cards they want to swap.
• The dealer then gives each player the requested number of new cards, face down.
• The next betting round begins with the player to the left of the dealer. Players can check, call, bet, raise, or fold.
• If there’s more than one player who’s remaining after the final round of betting, players must reveal their hands. The player who has been able to make the best 5-card poker hand becomes the pot winner.

5 Card Draw Poker Blind Rules

• All players must pay their blinds in full before they can get the button. The player who had the small blind in the last hand will get the button for the next deal. But, in heads-up play, the button switches between the two players so no one gets it for two hands in a row.
• If a player only has enough money to cover the big blind, they will NOT be part of the hand. They’ll need to buy more chips to continue. For instance, if the blinds are ₹0.25/0.50 and a player only has ₹0.50, they Cannot play.
• When a new player joins, two things can happen:
  • If they’re not in the big blind, they can either “post” the big blind or “wait.” If they post, their wager is active. If they wait, they have missed the blind, which must be posted before the next hand.
  • If they’re in the big blind, they’ll be treated as if they posted.

Basic Strategy

Learning how to play five-card draw poker is quick, but mastering it takes time and practice.

The best way to improve is by playing online, ideally starting with free games. Many platforms offer a no deposit bonus when you sign up, which is great for exploring 5-card draw and learning both basic and advanced strategies.

A common mistake beginners make is playing too many hands, especially ones that rely on drawing to a straight or flush. In most cases, the advice “tight is right” applies to starting hand selection in 5-card draw. Just like in games with community cards, your position in relation to the button matters in 5-card draw.

The closer you are to the button, the more hands you can profitably play. Regardless of where you sit, it’s usually best to enter the pot with a raise. Limping often leads to other players doing the same, and you’ll need a much stronger hand to win. Play conservatively from early positions, raising with hands like aces or kings. As you move closer to the button, you can add hands like queens, jacks, tens, and nines to your range, as long as you have a strong kicker.

If you’re dealt two pair or three-of-a-kind, always raise, no matter where you are. Be cautious when holding four cards to a straight or flush, as these are hands that can cause you to lose money. With one card left to draw, your odds of completing the straight or flush are about 4-to-1, and often the pot odds won’t justify going for it, especially in short-handed games.

Advanced Strategy

Once you’ve mastered the basics and feel confident, you can start applying more advanced strategies to your game. The psychological aspect of 5-card draw is significant, largely due to the drawing phase. For instance, while drawing three cards when you have a pair is statistically sound, if you always do this, your opponents will pick up on it and adjust their play to beat you.

Sometimes, draw just one or two cards with a pair — or even stand pat — to give the impression of a stronger hand than you actually hold. Unlike games like Texas Hold’em, stone-cold bluffs are rare in 5-card draw.

Players generally have at least a decent hand when betting, even if they’re bluffing. This is why taking detailed notes is essential in 5-card draw, as they provide valuable insights. For example, if you know a player only raises with a pair of jacks or better when on the button, you can easily fold a weaker hand like nines from the blinds.

Five-Card Draw Poker Variations

Now that you’ve understood how to play 5 card draw poker, it’s time that we discuss its variations:

Jackpots

This variation is similar to the standard version, but players need at least a pair of jacks or better to start the betting. If no one can open, the hand is dealt again.

California Lowball

In this variation, the lowest hand wins. The best hand is A-2-3-4-5, and straights and flushes don’t count against you.

Kansas City Lowball

Also known as Deuce to Seven Lowball, this version favours hands like 2-3-4-5-7. Straights and flushes are bad, and aces are the highest, making hands like A-2-3-4-5 undesirable.

Badugi

The goal is to create a hand with four cards of different suits and no matching pairs, with the lowest hand winning. Players receive four cards and can exchange up to three to improve their hand. The best hand is A-2-3-4 in different suits.

Triple Draw Lowball

Similar to California or Kansas City Lowball, but players get three drawing rounds instead of one, giving them more chances to improve their low hands.

High-Low Split

In this variation, the pot gets split between the highest and the lowest hand holding players. To qualify for the low hand, players typically need an “eight or better,” meaning all cards must rank eight or lower.

Five-Card Stud

Not a draw game, but worth mentioning. Players are dealt one card face down and four face up, with a round of betting after each card. There is no drawing phase.

Double Draw

After the first draw and betting round, players get a second chance to exchange cards, followed by another betting round before the showdown.

Triple Draw

An extension of Double Draw, with three drawing rounds and betting in between, giving players more opportunities to improve their hands.